Photographs
by goldfish078
Summary: Haruka's life had been fairly simple. Working the teahouse and attending school every now and again. But everything changes when she meets Seta for the first time. SetaHaruka.
1. Accidental Meetings

Photographs

Hey, new story for me (Finally) This time I've decided to do Love Hina. I've always wanted to write about my favorite LH couple, Haruka and Seta. (So if you don't like Haruka and Seta... don't read this) So, here we go... heh

Disclaimer: I do not own Love Hina nor will I ever own Love Hina... darn (This apply for all chapters of this story as well)

Chapter 1: Accidental Meetings

"Haruka, did you wipe all the tables down?" a voice called from the back room. Haruka rolled her eyes to the ceiling and grabbed a cloth from behind the counter.

"I'm working on it now."

"Good. When you're done there you can close up."

Haruka heard silence and then a few crashes. Her brother had knocked down the trays again by the sound of it. He was such a klutz sometimes. In fact he was the complete opposite of Haruka in fact. Her parents were always saying how her brother should be more like her.

Haruka proceeded to the next table and wiped it down as she listened to yelling from her father once again.

Honestly, why doesn't he just fire him?" she mumbled to herself. This was the second time today this happened and about the tenth time this week. It was becoming very repetitive. Haruka suspected the only reason he hadn't been fired yet was because he was their son.

Haruka herself had been working for the family business for about 6 months now. Her family owned the Hinata Teahouse, which was just a few minutes away from the Hinata Inn. The Teahouse had been owned by her family for generations and would one day be passed down to her. Haruka hated the thought of it. The last thing she wanted was to stay here with her family.

"You almost done Haruka?" Her brother had walked out of the kitchen looking very depressed, his apron slung over his right shoulder. Haruka paused what she was doing to look up at him.

"No, I still have all these tables to clean before we're ready to close up."

"Oh, well I'm going now. See you tomorrow." After saying that, her brother walked out the door in a slump. Haruka smiled to herself a bit.

"See ya." She went back to cleaning tables.

Even though her brother and her were only a few years apart, they didn't live in the same house. Haruka had moved out as soon as she reached collage and was very glad when she did so. She couldn't stand living with her family for much longer than she did and would have gladly moved out at age 15. She was a loner and much more independent than any of her family members.

"Haruka, I'm leaving." her father said, pausing in the doorway. "I'll see you tomorrow morning."

"Bye then." Haruka waved him off, not even bothering to stop cleaning. She heard her father walk down the stone steps that lead to the road and let out a sigh of relief. He could be a real pain when he was in a bad mood.

Finishing up the last table, Haruka paused for a second and looked around the Teahouse with a frown on her face. She couldn't wait to get out of here for good. The only thing that bothered her was not knowing when. Her parents said she could move out as long as she remained working here. If she wanted out, she would need a big excuse. She just needed to find one.

Haruka grabbed the cloth and shoved it behind the counter and untied the apron she was wearing and hung it up in the back room. She was just about to walk out the back door when she heard footsteps out front. Stopping to turn around, Haruka frowned again. It was probably her father coming back for one reason or another. Most likely to tell her something she didn't want to hear.

"What do you want now? I'll be home in a — oh." Haruka paused when she saw, not her father, but a collage student standing in the doorway. An extremely faint blush worked its way to the surface of her face as she looked him over. He was defiantly older than she was, but her wore a goofy smile on his face like he was in grade school or something. "Sorry, I thought you were someone else." she muttered. The man shrugged his shoulders, still grinning.

"You wouldn't happen to still be open, would you?" he asked, walking further inside. He never once took his eyes off Haruka.

"No, we're closed now. Come back tomorrow." Haruka said with no emotion in her voice. She turned to go to the back room and leave.

"Well, since you're still here, do you think you can get me a quick cup of coffee?" he asked her. Haruka paused, still facing the back room. "I'll pay you extra."

When she heard this, Haruka turned in place to find him holding up a wad of money. She made her way over to him and grabbed it from his hands, shoving it into her back pocket.

"What did you say you wanted?"

"Just a quick cup of coffee." he said once again. He sat down at the table closest to the counter and folded his hand to wait. Haruka noticed her was still looking at her as shestarted to make the coffee.

It'll take longer since I have to make more. You'll have to wait." Haruka made her way to the back room.

"Where are you going? You're not gonna leave me here, are you?" he called back. Haruka stopped and closed her eyes. She really did not want to deal with this right now.

"Why don't you stay out here and talk?"

Haruka turned to look at the man. He was still smiling like a ten year old. Giving a very obvious sigh, Haruka made her way to the counter and sat down, resting her head on her hand in a very tired manner. The man continued smiling.

"So, I didn't happen to catch your name. What was it again?" he asked after a few seconds.

"Haruka." she muttered under her breath. She couldn't remember if she had ever met such a friendlycustomer before. She found it somewhat annoying.

"Haruka huh? That's a very pretty name. It suits you."

Haruka shrugged her shoulders as if she didn't care, doing her best not to smile at the complement. No one had ever complemented her like that before.

"So who are you?" she asked back finally, not being nearly as friendly with him as he had with her.

"I'm Seta." he said while completely ignoring her rudeness when she asked.

"Seta huh?" Haruka shifted her arms and sat up a bit straighter.

"Yep. So where do you go to school?"

Haruka pointed to the left. "The University over there. The one that's a few blocks away. I'm in my second year."

"Really? I would have thought someone as pretty as you would be going to a more... well known school. You seem intelligent enough."

"You don't even know me." Haruka stated, turning her head to hide the faint blush that was creeping back again. Who did this guy think he was?

"I don't know you _yet_." Haruka turned back and stared at him.

"Excuse me for a minute." Haruka got up and quickly walked to the back room to get his coffee. Seta smiled as he watched her leave.

Haruka brushed past the material hangingin the doorway and went to get the cup.

"Why is he asking me all these stupid questions?" Haruka said to herself as she slammed the cup on the table. "I don't even know him!" She grabbed the coffee pot and proceeded to pour a small cup. "As soon as he's done with this I'm kicking him out!" Haruka planned. In her anger, she didn't realized the cup was already full and spilling over the edged until the steaming liquid landed on her feet.

"OW!" Haruka gave a sharp scream. In her pain she dropped the pot, causing the rest of the coffee to spill on to the floor and splash down the front of her. By this time Seta had heard the scream and had rushed to the back to see what was wrong.

"Are you okay Haruka?"

"I'm fine." Haruka muttered, getting to her feet. "Wait, who told you that you could come back here?" She asked, raising her voice slightly.

"I heard you yell and came to see if you're all right." Seta told her.

"Well I'm fine." Haruka turned away from him. She didn't want to face him right now. "Here's you're coffee."

"Um, thanks." Seta took the cup from Haruka's hand. "Are you sure you're alright?"

"Yes! Just go back out there and drink your coffee." Seta left after she said that. Haruka still hadn't turned around.

After Seta left, Haruka looked down at herself to examine the damage. It wasn't burning her anymore at least, but she had coffee stains all down her front and legs.

"Why did that happen?" Haruka asked herself. "I've never done anything like this before." It was something she would expect her brother to do.

Figuring she would have to go home and wash her clothes before they could get ruined, Haruka turned to leave out the back.

"Hey Haruka!" Seta called from the front.

"Damn, I forgot about him." Haruka turned around and walked over to the main room to go out and see what the jerk wanted. She paused again at the doorway and then turned to grab her apron to put over her shirt. It hid most of the stains pretty well on her front, but didn't cover up her legs that well. She had to wear light pants that day too. Haruka sighed to herself before walking out of the room.

"Ah there you are." Seta said upon Haruka's return. "Everything okay?"

"I told you I'm fine."

"I know I know." Seta said is grin back on his face. He finished the last drop of coffee in the cup and set it down on the table. "Thank you very much for that."

"No problem." Haruka said through her teeth.

"Hey, is that you're workuniform?" Seta asked pointing to the apron she was now wearing. "You weren't wearing that before were you?"

"Nope." Haruka shrugged. Seta stood up.

"Are you going home now?" he asked her.

"Well I don't live here." Haruka told him.

"Why don't I walk you home then?"

"No thanks."

"It's okay. Besides, it's the least I can do for you after making you stay late like this."

Haruka didn't respond. She had a feeling that even if she said no again, he wouldwalk her homeanyway. So instead of saying anything, Haruka made her way to the frontdoor. Seta followed.

Once they were outside, Seta proceeded to continue their conversation.

"So, you never asked me where I go to school." Seta said casually.

"Was I supposed to?" Haruka shrugged.

"Why not?"

"Fine, where do you go to school?" Haruka caved.

"Tokyo-U!" Seta said happily as if he had been waiting all evening to tell her that. "I'm studying archeology there."

Haruka raised an eyebrow at this. He didn't seem too bright to her and that was the last thing she expected to come out of his mouth.

"That's nice." Haruka stopped walking. Seta stopped soon after.

"Is this your place?" Seta asked, looking at the small house in front of him. Haruka nodded.

"Well that wasn't as long a walk as I had hoped it would be." Seta sighed to himself. Haruka looked at him strangely and walked up to the front door.

"Oh, by the way. That apron you're wearing looks cute on you!" Seta called to her before she opened the door to go inside. Haruka paused, her cheeks tinted with pink again.

"But it wasn't what I was expecting." Seta said, more to himself than Haruka. "A cute maid uniform would have looked really cute too." Seta fantasized. A sharp rock made contact with his head before the door to Haruka's house slammed shut.

* * *

Well that's chapter 1! Reveiws are much appreciated! Oh, and if there are any small details I got wrong, plase tell me so I can fix it. (But there's not too much known about Seta and Haruka's past so I'm making most of this stuff up.) Oh, and if anyone knows the name of Sara's mother, please tell me. (I'm not sure if they ever said her name or not) 

Well, I'll get the next chapter up soon!Thank you for reading!


	2. An Outing

Hey all, here's chapter 2! Enjoy!

Oh, and I'm still looking for the name of Sara's mother if she has one!

* * *

Chapter 2: An Outing 

As soon as Haruka shut the door, she ran straight to her room.

"What is wrong with me!" she said to herself. She sat down on her bed and stripped her wet clothes off to change into her pajamas. "I've never felt like this before."

All through high school, Haruka never had a boyfriend. Mainly because all the boys she knew were jerks. Besides that, compared to the other girls, she wasn't that pretty. Her hair was pretty short and people said she frowned a lot. She wasn't the kind of girl that would make a good girlfriend.

But then tonight she had met Seta, a guy who liked her, or so it seemed. Haruka was confused as to why he would like her. Then again, she didn't know him. He may act like that to every girl he meets.

Haruka decided to drop it for tonight and go to bed since it was nearing 11:30. She was glad tomorrow was Sunday, meaning no classes. She turned off the light, rolled on to her side and went to sleep.

When Haruka awoke the next day, it was nearly 12:00. Turning over lazily, she sat up and kicked the covers to the side. She didn't really have anything planned for the day and was still confused about Seta. So after washing up and changing, Haruka set off to town to just shop around, even though she really didn't enjoyshopping all that much. But she figured it would at least give her something to do while she thought about last night.

Just before Haruka was about to go out the door, the phone rang. She picked it up.

"Hello?"

"Haruka?"

"Yes?" Haruka immediately recognized the voice as her father's.

"You left a mess in the back room last night. I thought I told you to clean up before you closed the shop." Haruka stopped in her tracks and put her hand to her forehead. She had forgotten to clean up the coffee mug and spills last night before leaving.

"I'll be right down." she hung up the phone. Afterwards, she grabbed her coat and went out the door to the Teahouse.

About 5 minutes later, she arrived to find it empty. Apparently her father had already left. Haruka headed straight to the back to clean up as fast as she could.

"Damn, why didn't I do this last night?" she asked herself as she scrubbed at the stains on the table.

By the time they were finally out, Haruka had worked up a sweat. Putting the rag in the sink, she looked down at the floor and realized the small rug was stained to. She grabbed it on her way out and headed over to the Hinata Inn to throw it in a basket so it would be washed.

She had gone up to the Inn only a few times before, but she knew her way around it pretty well. When she got to the laundry room and slung the rug over the sink. Then she grabbed a sheet of paper to write a note telling them to return it to the Teahouse after it was cleaned.

"Oh, is that you Haruka?" a familiar voice called out just as Haruka was about to leave. She turned to find her mother, Hina.

"Yeah." Haruka turned to face her.

"What are you doing all the way up here on Sunday? You're not working are you?"

"No, just cleaning up a bit." Haruka answered back.

"Oh, are you doing anything else today?" Grandma Hina asked in a curious voice.

"Um, not really." Haruka said.

"Good, then would you mind picking a few things up for me in town?" Grandma Hina handed Haruka a list.

"Sure." Haruka smiled. She was used to doing favors for her.

Haruka walked out the door, skimming the list she had been given. The few things on the list included mainly fruit for some reason. At the bottom of the list was written 'soap'. Haruka sighed, reading through it one more time.

A voice broke her out of the trance.

"Haruka, is that you?" a voice called out. Haruka stopped in her tracks. She knew that voice.

"Seta?" Haruka said quietly.

"Yep, it's me again. I came to see if the Teahouse was open today." Seta walked up until he was right in front of Haruka. She noticed the grin on his face hadn't changed from last night.

"Uh, we're closed on Sundays." Haruka answered him, trying not to make eye contact.

"Yeah, I saw that." Seta sighed. "So what are you doing today?"

"What?" Haruka's cheeks turned pink. She mentally slapped herself for blushing in front of him again.

"I was just wondering if you were doing anything today." he said again. Haruka thought about it before answering.

"Yeah, I have to pick up a few things in town." Haruka hoped he would leave her alone after hearing that.

"Great, how about I come then?" Haruka face vaulted and blushed more.

"What? Why?" she asked him.

"Because I have nothing else to do today. I really don't feel like being bored."

"Oh... well I guess you can come." Haruka said, finally looking at his face again. It hadn't changed much. If anything, his smile had gotten bigger.

"Is this what you need to get?" Seta asked, gently prying the paper from Haruka's hands. Haruka nodded as he skimmed the list.

"It's not much. You don't have to come if you don't want to." Haruka grabbed the paper back, finally feeling the redness leave her face.

"That's alright. Besides, I know a place to get really good fruit at this time of year." Seta grabbed Haruka's arm and pulled her down the path leading into town.

"You do?" Haruka asked as she let herself be dragged away. She didn't expect him to know anything about shopping for food. This guy was full of surprises. After a moment of though, she pulled her arm out of his grasp and walked beside him normally.

During the walk into town it was silent. Seta didn't say anything and neither did Haruka. She wouldn't know what to say to him anyway, so maybe it was better this way. But the constant silence was getting very

Seta broke the ice as soon as they entered town.

"Hey, I saw a guy with an Hinata Teahouse apron on my why there last night. Does he work there too?"

"Yeah, he's my brother." Haruka said quickly.

"You're brother huh?"

"Yeah, it's kind of a family business. I don't have much of a choice when it comes to where I want to work. My father makes us work there."

"Oh, so that's why you work there." Seta pondered. "Does your entire family work there?"

"No, just me, my father and my brother." Haruka started. "My... mother manages the Hinata Inn and my oldersister has her own family to take care of."

"So you have two siblings?"

"Yeah, my oldersister married awhile ago and opened up her own Confectionary shop. I think she has a son now too. He's probably about 13 or so. It's been awhile since I've seen him"

"That's cool." Seta grinned. Haruka looked at him strangely.

"So what about your family?" Haruka asked him back, feeling the need to keep the conversation going.

"Oh, hey this is the place!" Seta stopped suddenly. Haruka nearly bumped into him. She couldn't tell if he had avoided the question on purpose or if he just hadn't heard her.

"I've never seen this place before." Haruka stated, looking around.

"Yeah, it's kinda small. But the food is cheaper here. Can I see the list?"

Haruka handed him the list and Seta set to work picking out the stuff that was on it. He reminded Haruka of a child who had just been given a handful of candy he was so happy. Haruka sighed.

"Hey, do you mind if I run down the street really quick to pick up some soap?" Haruka asked.

"No problem. I'll meet you up there when I'm done." he said without looking up. Without another thought, Haruka turned and walked quickly back up the street.

Moments later, Haruka reached the small department store and went inside to find what she was looking for. Hundreds of different thoughts rushed through her head.

_Does he really like me? _Haruka thought to herself. _Why would he do all this stuff if he didn't though. I'll bet it wasn't a coincidence that I ran into him again today. _

Haruka reached the isle where the soap was and grabbed some without even thinking. _Oh, what do I do? _

Haruka walked quickly up to the front to pay and then walked over to the door to leave, still occupied by her thoughts. Unfortunately for her, she didn't see Seta as she rounded the corner.

"Hey Haruka, I--" Haruka slammed into him and landed them both on the floor, their various purchases rolling around on the ground in front of them.

"Gee, I'mreally sorry about that." Seta said, getting up. He put his hand out to help Haruka up, who was still on the floor. She looked up at him, but didn't take his hand.

"No, it's my fault." Haruka said as she got up on her own. "I wasn't paying attention." she said as she started putting the items back in the bag. Seta crouched down to help.

"I forgive you then." Seta said. Haruka frowned at him. "Hey, is your arm okay?"

Haruka looked down to where Seta was pointing. Sure enough, she had scraped it.

"It's nothing. I didn't even notice it until you said something." Haruka shrugged, putting the last item back in the bag.

"Here, I'll hold the bag on the way back to make up for hurting you like that."

Haruka didn't say anything but didn't protest when Seta took the bag from her. The two of them started back to the Hinata Inn in silence. Neither of them said a word the whole way back.

After delivering the bag to the Hinata Inn, Haruka and Seta were walking, going nowhere in particular.

"Listen, I've gotta get going home now. It's almost 5:00." Haruka said finally.

"That's alright. I'll walk you home again." Seat said. Haruka didn't even try to stop him this time. She had a feeling he wouldn't listen.

A few minutes later they had arrived at Haruka's house. This time Seta walked her all the way to the front door, which surprised Haruka a little.

"Well, bye." Haruka said turning to go inside. Seta put a hand on her shoulder to stop her. "What?" she paused.

"Hey, I was wondering if you wanted to get together next Sunday? I could take you out to dinner or something like that." Seta said. Instantly Haruka felt her face turn pink and turned away so he wouldn't see.

"But we just met."

"Not as a date, but just as friends. What do ya say?" Haruka didn't know how to respond. No one had ever asked her out like this, even if it wasn't a real date. She didn't know what to do.

"Uh..." Haruka started.

"Great, I'll see you Sunday evening around 6:00." Seta said. He walked back to the road and left with a quick wave. Haruka stood there watching him, not knowing what to do.

* * *

I have nothing to say... except please review! 


	3. SemiDate?

Whew, finally got chapter three up. It seems their relationship is moving along kinda fast... but then again, this is Seta. He's not normal. Anyways, enjoy!

**

* * *

Chapter 3: Semi-Date?**

Haruka woke up the next morning oblivious to what had happened the previous night. She got up and cleaned and was just about to start eating breakfast (Which consisted of a single roll) when the phone rang. Haruka picked it up.

"Hello?"

"Haruka! It's your mother." said the voice from the other line. Haruka gave a very small smile.

"Why are you calling now? I've got to get to work soon." Haruka said, taking another bite out of the roll as she slipped her shoes on.

"This will only take a minute. I woke up this morning and realized I never thanked you for doing that shopping for me."

"Oh, it was nothing." Haruka sighed as she attempted to put her coat on while holding the phone between her ear and her shoulder. "Is that all you called for?"

"Well, I do have one more question for you."

"Shoot."

"Who was that handsome young man you came back with. Are you two going out?"

"What?" Haruka blushed. "I just met him and barely know him. He's just a friend!" Haruka ranted.

"Oh, is that all? He seemed awfully friendly with you." she giggled into the phone.

"It was nothing." Haruka said through her teeth. "A one time thing. I'll probably never see him again."

"Aww, that's too bad. You two would make a cute couple."

"Are you done? I have to get going."

"Yes, we wouldn't want you to get in trouble now. Bye dear." The other line went dead. Haruka slammed the phone down on the table and practically ran out the door, thinking about how miserable she would be if she still lived with her family.

* * *

By next Sunday, Haruka had been so busy with work that she had nearly forgotten about her "date" that night. It wasn't until she heard on knock on the door that she remembered. 

"Damn!" she cursed when she heard it. "I forgot about tonight."

Flattening her hair with her hands, she walked to the door and opened it to reveal Seta standing there, smiling.

"Sorry I'm late. Are you ready to go? Or did you forget?"

_Damn he's good._

"How could I forget about tonight?" Haruka muttered as she slipped on a pair of sandals. She hoped that he would take her anyplace fancy as she was only wearing black pants and a dark red t-shirt. She didn't really feel the need to dress up seeing as it wasn't an actual date. Then again, even if it was a date, she probably wouldn't have dressed up anyway.

Haruka followed Seta out the door and down the walkway to the road.

"So, where are we going." Haruka asked after a few minutes. Seta laughed.

"Well, the truth is I actually already ate dinner because I completely forgot about taking you to dinner tonight. So I figured we could take a walk in the park and I could just buy you ice cream or something!" Seta laughed again.

"What do you mean you forgot? This was your idea!" It kind of made Haruka a bit angry. She had to wonder if this guy knew anything about dating at all.

"You see, I'm pretty forgetful when it comes to stuff like this so--"

"So all I get for dinner is ice cream?" Haruka interrupted.

"What, you don't like ice cream? I always thought everyone did." Seta shrugged his shoulders. Haruka sighed.

"I guess it's okay." she muttered.

"Great! Because I know this great ice cream place!"

"I thought you just told me you were forgetful? How is it you know all these great places to buy food?" Haruka asked him.

"I don't forget everything." Seta replied. "Just most things." Haruka gave a long sigh, wondering to herself why she agreed to go with him tonight. She seemed to recall that she didn't really have a choice.

"So then why is it you didn't forget about me?" Haruka blurted out without thinking. As soon as she said it she turned away. _Why did I just ask that? _

"Well, you were just so nice to me. You really cheered me up that day." Seta put his hands into his pockets.

"How did I cheer you up? You didn't seem depressed. And for future reference, I'm really not that nice."

"I don't think that's true." Seta paused and stopped walking to face Haruka. "I think you're very nice."

"Am not." Haruka looked down at the ground. "Why did we stop?"

"Because we're here." Seta moved aside so Haruka could see the small ice cream stand behind him.

"Oh." Haruka said under her breath as they walked in line.

"So, what would you like?" Seta asked when their turn to order came.

"I'll just have chocolate."

"That's it? Nothing fancy or anything?" Seta smiled. He ordered it anyway. Haruka nodded.

A few seconds later, after Haruka received her ice cream, the two of them walked over to a nearby bench to sit down.

"You're not gonna get anything?" Haruka asked when she noticed that Seta had no ice cream.

"I told you already, I just had dinner. I'm not really hungry right now."

"I see." Haruka licked at the ice cream that was beginning to drip down the side.

It made Haruka a little nervous to be here with Seta like this for some reason. He seemed nice, but he was acting so... strange. She wondered to herself if he did this often with other girls. But one thing was for sure, he was definitely not an ordinary collage student. Sometimes he barely acted his age, always smiling like a 10 year old would.

"So... how's life?" Seta began after a pause. Haruka looked at him.

"How am I supposed to answer that question?" she asked.

"I could break it down for you if you want." Seta said, pondering to himself. Haruka said nothing. How about this! How is... work going for you?" he said spur of the moment.

"Not too great right now. It's been kinda hectic this week." she answered back without looking up.

"Oh?" Seta replied.

"Yeah, my father tripped down the steps last Monday and broke his leg, which means he hasn't been able to work. Me and my brother tried to manage on our own but..." Haruka paused. "we're planning to close down until my father's leg is healed, which means I'm out of a job for about two months." Haruka finished, taking a small bite of ice cream.

"Wow, I was expecting something happy." Seta leaned back on the bench and looked up at the sky. The sun was starting to set.

"Pretty huh?" he asked. Haruka looked up.

"I guess so."

"What, you don't like sunsets?"

"I've always preferred night time to sunsets" Haruka shrugged.

"Well you're in luck!" Seta gave an even wider grin. "It's almost night time." Haruka smiled at this, though she didn't let him see.

"Hey, about you're lack of a job for two months," Seta faced Haruka. "I might be able to help."

"Really?" Haruka tried not to sound too excited.

"Yeah, I could work something out for you and you could... oh!" Seta stopped mid-sentence suddenly and stood up.

"What now?" Haruka asked. Seta started walking off. "Where are you going?"

"I just remembered something I wanted to do." Seta turned around and continued walking backwards. "I'll only be a minute."

"Um, okay." Haruka muttered as Seta turned back around and took off at a full run. "What a weird guy." she muttered to herself.

While Seta was away, Haruka couldn't help wondering what kind of job Seta had been talking about before he left so suddenly. She couldn't help thinking that it would be something like a job working in some crowded clothing store or something else that she didn't want to do. Haruka took another bite of ice cream.

"Or worse..." Haruka thought. _What if he traps me into working for some night club or something!_ Haruka definitely didn't want that kind of job and turned a bit red just thinking about it. _But what if I turn him down? He may not like me anymore if I do but... isn't that what I want?_

A voice interrupted her thoughts.

"Hey, Haruka!" Seta said in a very loud voice from behind her. He surprised Haruka so much that she lurched forward and managed to stick her face right into her unfinished ice cream.

"Smile!" There was a click, followed by a flash.

"Oh, are you alright?" Seta asked when he noticed Haruka's face. "You have ice cream on your--"

"I know!" Haruka stopped him. Seta smiled and swiped his finger down her ice cream covered cheek to eat a mouthful. "Delicious!"

"Shut up!" Haruka told him, wiping her face off with a napkin.

"What an interesting picture that'll make!" Seta said to himself. Haruka noticed he was holding a camera.

"Wait... did you just..." Haruka's face reddened even more. "Take a picture of me!" Haruka hated getting her picture taken.

Seta nodded.

"You little bastard!" Haruka stood up and made a grab for the camera. She missed.

"Hey, don't worry about it. I won't show anyone if you don't want me to." Seta stepped back.

"That was a cheap trick!" Haruka raised her ice cream. "I don't know why I even agreed to come with you tonight!"

Haruka drew her hand back and threw the ice cream at Seta's head full force. Seta dodged it, still smiling.

"Can you forgive me?" he asked. Haruka stopped to look at him.

"What?" she said incredulously. Seta just continued smiling. Haruka took a step forward. "Well I--"

Haruka statement was cut off when she stepped and a small puddle of spilled ice cream and fell towards the ground. She shut her eyes.

Haruka stopped mid-fall.

"Are you alright?"

Haruka looked up to see Seta with one arm around her mid-section and the other around her arm. Haruka blushed.

"Thanks." she muttered. Seta barely heard.

"It was no problem. Just be careful next time you try and attack me."Haruka frowned.

"You mean, you're not mad?" Haruka asked him. Seta shook his head and hoisted her up to her feet. After a second he let go of her.

"Ready to get going?" he asked. Haruka just nodded, still a bit baffled as to what just happened. _Could he really be that forgiving? _

The sun had set well before Seta and Haruka had started back towards Haruka's house and the night air was growing a bit chilly. Haruka was too preoccupied with her thoughts to notice the cool air.

"Aren't you cold?" Seta finally asked her. Haruka responded with a slight shake of her head.

"You're lucky... I'm freezing."

Haruka thought he was being a bit over dramatic.

"Hey Seta?" Haruka finally looked up. "Before you left earlier, you were saying something about a job. Care to finish it?" Haruka had been wondering about it ever since he mentioned it and had been debated with herself on whether or not she wanted his offer finished. Her curiosity finally won her over.

"Oh that?" Seta put his hands behind his head as they walked. "It was just a thought. I don't even really know if you'd be allowed to do it. But it seems like it would suit your type."

"My type? Just what kind of job are you talking about?" Now Haruka's curiosity had risen dramatically.

"This was just a thought but..." Seta paused. "Well me and a few collage professors are going down to South America to do a little excavating next month and since my former assistant left about a week ago..."

"Just tell me what the job is already!" Haruka was growing impatient.

"How would you like to be my assistant on my next archeological dig?"

Haruka did not know how to respond to that.

* * *

End Chapter 3! Hope you all enjoyed :D And please review while you're here! Reveiws are much appreciated. 


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